history – Page 6 – In the Woods

Charles Munson Hamilton & Eliza Ann Devoe

Tim’s 2nd-great-grandfather, Charles Munson Hamilton, son of Benjamin J. and Rachel (Gardner) Hamilton, was born 16 August 1815 in New Jersey, and died 12 June 1891 in Cuba (Allegany) New York. He married (as his first wife) 31 December 1840, Eliza Ann Devoe, who was born 26 January 1819 in New York, and died 6 April 1866 in Hinsdale (Cattaraugus) New York.

Charles bought the farm on Keller Hill in Hinsdale, New York on 16 April 1857, when he was 41 years old. Before then Charles & Eliza and their oldest three children lived in Prattsburgh (Steuben) New York. Eliza’s parents remain unknown, but her son was told that she was descended from a French nobleman, a cousin to Louis XVI, and that her ancestry was French, Dutch and Pennsylvania Quaker. I have found many French and Dutch Devoes (with many spelling variations) in New York and Pennsylvania, but cannot thus far establish any connections. [Curiously, Charles’ niece, Eliza Ann VanDeventer married one Elias DeVoe Bryant, who is a great-grandson of a Dutch woman named Lucy Davoe, and Charles and Eliza did name a daughter Lucy.]

Charles & Eliza lived during the time of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Eliza’s obituary in The Cuba True Patriot, Vol IV, No 41, 13, April 1866, was sad and brief:

Sudden death. – A lady named Hamilton, who resided a short distance south of this village, died very suddenly on Friday morning last. She was taken by a fainting fit while sitting at the tea table and died in a short time. She leaves a child three weeks old.

After Eliza died, Charles married (as his second wife) a school teacher, Rachel A. Ferris, 11 March 1868 in Cuba (Allegany) New York, daughter of Cyrus and Miriam (—) Ferris. Rev. William O. Learned performed the ceremony, at the residence of the bride’s father. Rachel was born January 1836 in New York and died 1 April 1875 in Hinsdale.

According to the Cuba Evening Review, twice a widower, Charles and his daughter, Addie, made a trip by train to Chicago in June, 1882. Since 1879 he had been living with Addie and her husband, Joseph D. Witter, who died shortly thereafter. His time spent with Addie must have been a great comfort to him after so many losses in a row. (His 6-year-old daughter Lucy died in 1850, wife Eliza died in 1866, 28-year-old son Elmer died in 1870, newborn daughter Myra died in 1871, wife Rachel died in 1875, and his mother in 1877 and father in 1880.) Charles was a Baptist and a Republican. He died of cystitis and catarrh of the bladder. He and both his wives are buried in Lot #11, Cuba Cemetery, Cuba, New York.

According to his son, Charles A. Hamilton:

The following is from Charles Amos Hamilton, An Autobiography, “The Memory of the Just is Blessed”, (Batavia, New York: Privately printed, 1941)

My father [Charles Munson] was always kind to me, gave me spending money, took me to the circus, etc., but he was of the stern type, quite hard of hearing, and so much older than I that we were never pals. My memories of father are, on the whole, pleasant. He was stern, puritanical in faith and honest to the half cent. He hated anything low or crooked. I never heard him tell a risqué story, and he never used profanity. His cuss words were limited to “I swanny,” and “By George,” with, on extreme provocation, the expletive reported to have been used by General Cambronne at the Battle of Waterloo. He was hard-working, thrifty and a good manager. While not painfully pious, he was regular in church attendance, always asking the blessing at meals, and conducting family worship during the winter season. Sister Addie and I had a memorial window installed in his memory in the rebuilt Baptist Church at Cuba, which bears this quotation, “The Memory of the Just is Blessed.” His justice and honesty seemed to us his outstanding characteristic. He was afflicted with partial deafness, an affliction which seems hereditary among the descendants of Benjamin Hamilton. We were never close to each other until I became a college student, when he evidently considered me a man, and we discussed at length all sorts of questions. I deeply revere his memory.

The following is from The Patriot, Cuba New York, Thursday, June 18, 1891:

Death of Chas. M. Hamilton

On Friday, June 12, Mr. Charles M. Hamilton, residing south west of the village, departed this life, aged 75 years and 10 months. Mr. Hamilton had been ill for nearly three years, but death, when it came, seemed sudden, as it does under any circumstances.

Deceased was born in New Jersey and came to New York state when a boy, his home being in Chemung county. All his life he followed farming, his highest ambition when young, being to possess a farm of his own. Thirty-eight years ago he located on the place where he died, living there a happy and contented life and bringing into cultivation as fine a farm as can be found in this vicinity. He was twice married, both his companions in life crossing the river before him. Two children mourn the loss of a loved parent, Mrs. C. B. Conklin and Mr. Chas. A. Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton possessed the entire confidence of his neighbors and friends, and his life was one of honest work, uprightness and integrity. The funeral services were held Sunday at the home of his daughter, Rev. Cherryman of Scott’s Corners officiating.

Charles & Eliza were the parents of five children:

1. Elmer Alonzo Hamilton, a farmer, born 12 October 1841 in New York, died 20 July 1870 in Hinsdale, when struck by lightning. He is buried in Lot #11 in Cuba Cemetery. The following account of Elmer’s death was written many years later by his little brother, Charles, who was 4 years old at the time:

One of my most vivid recollections of this period is the death by a stroke of lightning on July 20th, 1870, of my only brother, Elmer Alonzo. He was my father’s first born, and had grown up into a strong, lusty farmer. He and father were more like brothers than like father and son. He was very fond of his little brother, and used to romp with me and at times good naturedly teased me. To me, there was no one in the world like Elmer. After dinner, on the day of his death, as he was starting for the hay field, I begged him to take me with him, but, as a thunder storm was looming in the west, he told me I couldn’t go. He went alone to the hay field, cocked hay until the storm came up, and a bolt of lightning ended his activities forever. His body was not discovered until the next forenoon, all covered with hay. His untimely death was a terrible blow to the entire family.

And from the Cuba True Patriot, 22 July 1870, Vol 9, No 4:

Killed by Lightning. On Wednesday last, Mr. Elmer Hamilton, son of Charles Hamilton, residing on Keller Hill, in this town was killed by lightning. The particulars as near as we have been able to learn them, are as follows. Just before the terrible thunder-storm of Wednesday Mr. Hamilton went over to his father’s farm, adjoining his own, and just across the Hinsdale town line, to grind his machine knives and repair his mower. Towards night as he did not return his relatives began to wonder at his long absence, and a search was instituted. They looked in every place where it might be possible he might be found, but failed to find him. A large number of neighbors were informed, who searched diligently for the missing man till about 2 o’clock A. M., when the hunt was given up till morning. Thursday morning the body of Mr. Hamilton was found, partly screened by a haycock. By his side, and protruding from the cock of hay was his pitchfork, with the tine end sticking out. Close by was his hat, which led to his discovery. One side of the head was scorched almost to a crisp, plainly indicating the cause of his death. It is supposed that Mr. Hamilton crept under the hay-cock to protect himself from the severe storm, and that the lightning struck the fork which he held in his hand. Mr. Hamilton was about 21 years of age, and a young man generally esteemed by all who knew him.

2. Lucy D. Hamilton, born 20 January 1844 in New York, died there 11 November 1850, age 6. Lucy lies buried in the Prattsburgh Old Cemetery, Prattsburgh, New York.

3. Freelove Adelaide “Addie” Hamilton, born in October 1848 in New York, died 9 April 1912 in Cuba. She married (as her first husband) 16 September 1868 in Hinsdale, Joseph D. Witter, who was born 18 April 1843 in Pennsylvania, and died 6 June 1879 in Cuba. Addie & Joseph were the parents of four children. Addie married (as her second husband and as his first wife) 7 February 1883, Clarence B. Conklin, who was born in October 1855 in Pennsylvania and died 30 November 1925 in New York. In the 1880 census Clarence was listed as a boarder in Addie’s household. Addie & Clarence had one daughter. Addie died of cancer when she was about 64. She had played quite an important part in her younger brother Charles’ childhood and adolescent period, being both sister and mother to him. Following are Charles’ thoughts about her two husbands:

Joseph Witter was one of the finest men I ever knew. Honest, industrious, a devout Christian, a fine husband and father. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and saw something funny in nearly all situations. My sister told me that, in their eleven years of married life, he never spoke crossly to her but once. He treated me as I had never been treated before. Joe, treated me as a man, made me drive the team, draw the milk to the cheese-factory, and work alone in the fields dragging. He gave me kindly advice and correction when needed.

Clarence was honest and upright, but painfully ‘close’ in money matters. Two months after their marriage, he lost his mind, and was incarcerated for several months in the Buffalo asylum for the insane. His mind was not very clear during his last years.

4. Elizabeth Hamilton, born 28 March 1864 in New York, died there 1 August 1864, age 4 months.

5. Charles Amos Hamilton (Tim’s great-grandfather), born 19 March 1866 in Hinsdale, died 28 October 1943 in Batavia (Genesee) New York. He married 30 June 1897 in Albion (Orleans) New York, Gertrude Mabel Hubbard, who was born 9 December 1874 in Albion, and died 31 May 1965 in Marlboro (Monmouth) New Jersey, daughter of Delorma Brown and Emma (Pridmore) Hubbard. Charles & Gertrude were the parents of one daughter.

Charles Munson & Rachel were the parents of a daughter:

1. Myra Eliza Hamilton, who lived for only three days in March 1871.

~~~~~

Years ago we made a research trip to western New York with Tim’s aunt Delorma and were able to see the farm on Keller Hill Road in Hinsdale, and perhaps the cheese factory where their milk was brought. My memory has gotten pretty hazy, we saw so much too fast. We met the Hinsdale town historian and some distant cousins. I’ve never been able to find parents for Eliza, but after this trip was taken I learned that Charles & Eliza buried their 6 year old daughter, Lucy, in Prattsburg, about 75 miles to the east. Lucy died there in 1850 and after that her parents bought the farm in Hinsdale in 1857. So I’m hoping to make a trip to Prattsburg one of these days – perhaps Charles & Eliza were married there and perhaps I can find evidence of Eliza’s parents there.

Last Revised: 15 February 2021

Capt. William Nelson Hamblin & Annie Eliza Baker

Annie Eliza Baker (1845-1927), center front, and her three children:
William Nelson Hamblin (1883-1958), Amanda Eliza Hamblin (1879-1966),
and Benjamin Francis Hamblin (1873-1955).

My 2nd-great-grandfather, Capt. William Nelson Hamblin, son of William and Amanda (Bearse) Hamblin, was born about 1844 in West Dennis (Barnstable) Massachusetts, and died there 19 May 1883. He married 16 January 1868 in Dennis, Annie Eliza Baker, who was born 2 October 1845 in Dennis, and died 2 December 1927, daughter of Benjamin and Eliza R. (Eldridge) Baker.

Hamblin home ~ 123 Fisk St., West Dennis

William was a sea captain and Annie was a homemaker. On the 1880 census we find the young family living in Dennis, William & Annie with children Benny, age 6, and Amanda, 9 months old.

William died of heart disease when he was only 39 years old, six weeks before the birth of his last son, who was named after him. Annie was a widow for 44 years. In the 1900 census we find her living with her mother Eliza and her son William in Dennis in Eliza’s house. In the 1910 census Annie is head of the household in Dennis, living with her son William, her daughter Amanda, and her granddaughter Emma, age 3, Amanda’s daughter. (Amanda’s husband was a sea captain and presumably out at sea.) By the time of the 1920 census Annie was living with her son William, daughter-in-law Sadie, and grandson Gordon on Main St. in Yarmouth.

William & Annie lie buried next to each other in West Dennis Cemetery, not far from their home on Fisk Street.

~ HUSBAND ~
WILLIAM N. HAMBLIN
Died
May 19, 1883
Aged
39 Years.
We hope to meet thee in Heaven.

~ WIFE ~
ANNIE E. HAMBLIN
Died
Dec. 2. 1927.
Aged
82 Years
Gone but not forgotten.

Annie & William were the parents of four children:

1. an unnamed son, born 23 June 1869 in West Dennis and died there 4 July 1869.

2. Benjamin Francis “Benny” Hamblin, born 23 November 1873 in West Dennis, died 26 October 1955. He married 30 November 1899 in West Bridgewater (Plymouth) Massachusetts, Lillian Wright Pratt, who was born 16 September 1872 and died 20 May 1946 in Abington (Plymouth) Massachusetts, daughter of Ira A. and Lucy Ann (Hathaway) Pratt. Benjamin & Lillian were the parents of a daughter, Ruth Vivian Hamblin, who married Arthur John Coburn. Ruth was an only child, just like my grandmother, her cousin. Grandmother told me that she and Ruth considered themselves sisters more than cousins and were very close. Ruth’s husband, Arthur, made the cherry magazine rack that my grandparents, John & Emma White, gave Tim & me for a wedding present.

3. Amanda Eliza Hamblin (my great-grandmother), born 2 August 1879 in Dennis, died 6 July 1966 in Taunton (Bristol) Massachusetts. She married 1 February 1900 in Dennis, Capt. Martin Freeman Thompson, who was born 29 March 1875 in South Harwich (Barnstable) Massachusetts and died 13 July 1965 in Dennis, son of Martin Edward and Elisabeth Emma (Freeman) Thompson. Amanda & Martin were the parents of Emma Freeman Thompson, my grandmother and Ruth’s cousin.

4. William Nelson Hamblin, born 1 July 1883 in Dennis, two months after the death of his father, died 31 December 1958. He married Sadie Louise Crowell, who was born 11 September 1884 in Dennis, and died 23 March 1972 in Yarmouth (Barnstable) Massachusetts. Apparently the younger William did not follow his father to a life at sea. William & Sadie were the parents of two sons: Gordon and Francis Hamblin were the much-talked-about cousins of my grandmother.

Gordon & Francis Hamblin
photo by Milton Moore

The following is from the Sunday Cape Cod Times, June 22, 1980 article by Craig Little, pg 13, South Yarmouth:

Hamblin’s Garage in Bass River is a living museum of roadside retailing, a dusty monument to the time when gas stations were stucco and red tile, not shiny plastic and chrome floating on a sea of jet black seal-coated asphalt.

Like an archeological dig, the inside of the gas station has strata of artifacts. Peel back a tire sealant ad from the ’50s and you find a tobacco ad from the ’40s. Peel that back, and underneath is a flyer from the ’30s. Time stands still here.

But after 66 years of pumping gas and changing flats here, the Hamblins are selling out. “Don’t wanna die here,” says Francis, the talkative Hamblin who acts as the front man, pumping gas, taking care of the candy store and making small talk with the customers.

His brother, Gordon, takes care of the mechanical work (“We don’t do any big jobs like transmission work or rebuilding engines. We do mufflers, brakes, tune-ups, exhausts. Yep, we do all that”). He’s been there since 1934, when he was right out of high school. Francis didn’t arrive until after World War II, when the brothers took over the business from their father, W. H. Hamblin.

Their father began selling Mobil gasoline from 55-gallon oil drums mounted in his Main Street front yard in 1914, when Main Street was still Route 28. Ten years later, when it was clear that cars were here to stay, he had the garage built a few dozen yards from his house. Even in 1935, when Route 28 was rerouted to the north and Main Street was relegated to a scenic bypass, there was enough business to keep the station going.

Even in 1967, when a shiny new Mobil station was built down by the Bass River Bridge, the Hamblins managed to survive, by switching to Arco. “That’s comin’ too close,” philosophizes Francis.

W.H. Hamblin bought the little candy store and moved it to the property in 1928 so his wife could sell ice cream. Now window boxes with geraniums decorate the outside, hanging below the old wood-framed glass display cases.

The more you look around, the more you wonder why antique dealers didn’t clean out the Hamblins years ago. “Oh, I got some baseball cards of Babe Ruth and them at home. Must be worth $40 or $50 apiece,” says Francis, who knows by now that an old thing gets more valuable as it gets older.

Probably the newest thing in the garage… a rototiller destined to carve out a garden for Francis in New Hampshire. “Just bought a place there last year,” he says. “Hope to have a good-sized garden.”

After Francis leaves, Gordon will stay on in the house behind the shop. He’ll keep on driving school buses for the town, something he’s done for years. For years he’s also serviced the South Yarmouth’s post office’s fleet of mail vans, working on them on an outdoor hydraulic lift installed in 1930. “Oh, I dunno, I guess they got about 18, 19, or 20 of ’em,” he says from under his cap, worn at an angle, Rootie Kazootie style. “I work on all of ’em — they usually get ’em down here about 5 in the evenin’. They need ’em in the day.”

The Hamblins charge between $5 and $6 an hour for labor. It doesn’t seem to bother them that other garages get three times that for the same work. “Because of the war, our father started closing Sundays,” says Francis. “He liked it so well he never got back to the seven-day week. We stay pretty busy, ‘specially at inspection time. Most of ’em is repeats.”

“Yep, been an inspection station since I was a kid,” adds Gordon, twisting a final spark plug into place on Silva’s Mustang. “As far as I know, since the early ’20s.” Behind the car, in a corner next to a pile of old boxes capped with a dusty pith helmet, is a sagging easy chair where Gordon can sneak a break during his long days.

“A lot of people come in to have work done on their old cars,” Francis says, nodding toward the 1936 Packard that someone dropped off in the back lot. “They hate to see us go. Oh, we’ve just gotten up in age and want to take it a little easier. Anyway, fella that wants to buy the place says he’s gonna try to keep it as a landmark… won’t do much modernizing. Geez, hope they pass those papers.”

Last Revised: 20 February 2021

William Franklin Raven & Elona Naomi Case

Tim’s 2nd great-grandfather, William Franklin Raven, son of Henry Charles and Clarinda (Sweet) Raven, was born 12 July 1851 in Macomb (St. Lawrence) New York, and died 14 September 1917 in Escanaba (Delta) Michigan. He married, 5 March 1888 in Cambridge (Lenawee) Michigan, Elona Naomi Case, who was born 7 July 1853 in Cambridge, and died 22 January 1929 in Badaxe (Huron) Michigan, the daughter of Hermon Roberts and Paulina (Minor) Case.

The following is from Col. Charles V. DeLand, DeLand’s History of Jackson County, (Logansport, Indiana: B.F. Bowen, 1893), 1075-1076:

WILLIAM F. RAVEN

Among the representative farmers and dairymen of Columbia township, where he owns a fine landed estate of nearly three hundred acres, is Mr. Raven, who comes of ancestry long identified with the annals of American history. Mr. Raven is a native of the old Empire state, having been born on the parental homestead farm, in St. Lawrence county, New York, on the 12th of July, 1852, a son of Henry and Clarinda (Sweet) Raven, the former of whom was born in Merrickville, province of Ontario, Canada, while the latter was born in the state of Vermont. ……. The subject of this review passed the first ten years of his life in his native county, and thereafter was for a time a resident of Herkimer and Oneida counties. His early education was received in the public schools of the locality and period, and was supplemented by a course of study in Fairfield Academy, where he was graduated as a member of the class of 1873. Between his public school and academic courses he had learned the printer’s trade, and for some nine months he was employed as a compositor in an establishment on Fulton street, New York city. Thereafter he secured employment in connection with a lumber business at Ilion, New York, being thus engaged for four years, at the expiration of which, in 1877, he came to Michigan and after looking about the state in search of a suitable location finally took up his residence in the township of Cambridge, Lenawee county, where he made his home for the ensuing two years. He then, in 1880, effected the purchase of the Hoag farm of one hundred and thirty acres, in section 15, Columbia township, Jackson county, the same being most eligibly situated a short distance to the northeast of Clark’s lake. Since that time he has added to the area of his farm until he now has a finely improved and valuable landed estate of nearly three hundred acres. In addition to diversified farming he is now making a specialty of the dairy business, keeping a high grade of Jersey cattle and being known as one of the most progressive, practical and successful dairymen of this section. He takes a loyal interest in public affairs of a local nature and has been a member of the school board of this district for the past eight years, while in 1901 he was called upon to serve in the office of township treasurer, giving a discriminating and most acceptable administration of the fiscal affairs in his charge. Fraternally, he is a popular member of the Masonic order, in which he has passed the capitular degrees and also of the adjunct body, the Order of the Eastern Star, as well as the Knights of the Maccabees and the Grange. Mrs. Raven is identified also with the Eastern Star, the Ladies of the Maccabees and the Grange. In politics the subject is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, taking an intelligent and lively interest in the questions of the hour, and in the community he commands the unequivocal confidence and esteem of all who know him and wields no slight influence in local affairs. On the 5th of March, 1888, Mr. Raven was united in marriage to Miss Eleanora Case, who was born in Lenawee county, Michigan, a daughter of Herman R. Case, a native of Connecticut, who came to Michigan in the pioneer epoch. Mr. and Mrs. Raven have seven children, all of whom are at home save the eldest, who is attending the Agricultural College, at Lansing, their names, in order of birth, being as follows: Paulina, Hermon, Marion, William, Emmett, Julia and Ayesha.

All the photographs on this post were contributed anonymously to Ancestry.com in 2013.

William & Elona (Case) Raven and their seven children…

The following is from an undated and unidentified newspaper clipping:

Sudden Death of William F. Raven

Remains Brought to Brooklyn for Burial

William F. Raven, formerly a resident of Columbia township, died suddenly in a restaurant at Escanaba last Friday morning of heart trouble. he had been in Chicago to attend a wool growers’ convention and had gone north in the interests of the state agricultural extension department, being at the head of the live stock section. The remains were taken to his home at East Lansing where the funeral was held and on Monday brought to Brooklyn for burial at Highland Cemetery. He was buried with special Masonic honors, the Master of the Lansing Masonic lodge coming with the funeral party.

William Raven was well and favorably known to every Columbia resident and few men have become so well known throughout the state. He came here, a farmer boy from Ohio, and working on farms and teaching for a few years bought a farm, now tenanted by one of his sons, William. He was united in marriage to Miss Elona Case of Cambridge and a large family came to bless their home. Besides the widow the surviving children are herman, John, Emmett, Marion and Will, daughters Paulina, Julia and Ayesha, all grown men and women, a family of honor and credit to the community.

Mr. Raven has for about ten years been in the employ of the state and made his home in East Lansing. He was for a time in charge of all the college extension work in the upper peninsula. He spent a year or two on the soil survey and had charge of the live stock extension work through out the state. Prof. R.S. Shaw, dean of agriculture, and Prof. R.J. Baldwin, director of extension work, of the M.A.C. paid tribute to Mr. Raven at the Exponent office on Monday. They spoke in highest terms of his work stating that he was the best informed and most reliable of any of the men on the extension work and that his death would be a distinct loss to the state.

And the following is from “Reminiscences” by Ayesha Raven Laidlaw, Elona’s youngest daughter:

In our neighborhood the community of Jefferson had a cemetery which was supported by the township, which did not take very good care of it, except for mowing. So the women formed an organization called the Memory Circle, and they raised money for that little cemetery. It continued for many, many years. they had Ice Cream Socials, and we had the biggest house in the township, so the Ice Cream Socials were always at our house in the summer. In the winter they had a Chicken Pie Dinner, and that, too, was at our house. Brother Herman always spoke of those dinners. When Mother was entertaining, he would say, “Well, Mother’s having another Graveyard Social.” As I said, that continued many years, and, as late as when we lived in Tecumseh on Democrat Street, Paulina and I entertained those women for Julia when she was home from the East. Many, many of them came from Jackson, Liberty, Cass Lake, and Jefferson and the community, and one lady, when she got out of the car, said, “Well, you don’t know me. I’m Zilla McCready.” And I was shocked because I thought she had been dead for many years. I think there were six or eight ladies there who were past eighty years old.

Elona & William lie buried in Highland Cemetery in Brooklyn (Jackson) Michigan. They were the parents of seven children:

1. Paulina Elona “Polly” Raven, born 20 July 1879, died 2 January 1959 in Lyon (Fulton) Ohio. She married 30 June 1917 in East Lansing (Ingham) Michigan, Frederick Elwin Morse, who was born 19 January 1876 and died 21 April 1958. Paulina & Frederick were the parents of two sons.

2. Herman Case Raven, born 24 April 1882, died 5 April 1937 in Portland (Multnomah) Oregon. He married 1 February 1908 in Cook Valley (Dunn) Wisconsin, Elvira Florence Scritsmier, who was born 1 February 1880 in Auburn (Chippewa) Wisconsin and died 28 January 1969 in Portland. Herman & Elvira had no children.

3. Marion Case Raven (Tim’s great-grandfather), born 18 October 1883, died 4 December 1926 in Jackson (Jackson) Michigan. He married (as her first husband) 20 June 1906 in Hanover (Jackson) Michigan, Catherine Alta Verplanck, who was born there 2 May 1885 and died there 27 July 1941, daughter of George Washington and Ermina (Huntley) Verplank. Marion & Catherine were the parents of three children.

4. John William “Will” “Bill” Raven, born 5 February 1886, died in Highland Park (Wayne) Michigan. He married (as his first wife and as her second husband) 13 February 1913 in Jackson, Emma Belle (Faxon) Clark, who was born there 17 October 1873 and died there 7 February 1927, daughter of Dewitt Clinton and Lucy Ann (Campbell) Faxon and widow of Harry B. Clark. Bill married (as his second wife and as her second husband) Evelyn (—). Bill married (as his third wife) Mabel (—). Bill never had any children of his own.

5. Emmett Leroy Raven, born 16 September 1889, died 20 December 1971 in Badaxe. He married (as his first wife) 23 June 1915 in Mulliken (Eaton) Michigan, Ethel Alvina Peabody, who was born 24 September 1892 in Roxand (Eaton) Michigan and died there 25 October 1927. Emmett & Ethel were the parents of four children. Emmett married (as his second wife) 18 June 1929, Mildred Nellie Gardnen, who was born 6 January 1890 and died 26 July 1979 in Colfax (Huron) Michigan.

6. Julia Agnes Raven, born 17 October 1891, died 29 February 1968 in Middletown (Middlesex) Connecticut. She married 17 May 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William Homan, who was born 3 August 1889 and died 13 January 1951. Julia never had any children of her own.

7. Clarinda Ayesha Raven, born 8 June 1895, died 29 August 1987 in Fort Myers (Lee) Florida. She married 19 July 1917 in East Lansing (Ingham) Michigan, Orville William Laidlaw, who was born 14 July 1893, and died 24 December 1978. Ayesha & Orville were the parents of two sons.

Last Revised: 15 February 2021

Neadom Rodgers & Hanorah O’Brien

Tim’s 2nd-great-grandfather, Neadom Rodgers, son of Jacob and Mahala (Bedford) Rogers, was born 11 June 1837 in Guysborough (Guysborough) Nova Scotia, and died 30 June 1897 in Provincetown (Barnstable) Massachusetts. He married 3 April 1866 in Boston (Suffolk) Massachusetts, Hanorah “Nora” O’Brien, who was born 12 December 1846 in Massachusetts, and died 16 January 1921 in Marshfield (Plymouth) Massachusetts, daughter of William and Mary (—) O’Brien.

Neadom was a fisherman, and Hanorah was a homemaker, the daughter of Irish immigrants. They were married by Rev. Thomas Sheahan. Neadom had arrived in Provincetown from Canada in September 1858. He died of arterial insufficiency, and is buried with Hanorah in Gifford Cemetery in Provincetown.

On 11 March 1888, Neadom & Hanorah survived The Great Blizzard of 1888 that killed more than 400 people along the eastern seaboard.

Hanorah was a widow for 23 years. She stayed in Provincetown with three of her children and was there when the 1900 census was taken. By the time of the 1910 census she was living in Worcester, Massachusetts with her daughter Mary Jane and her family, and by the time of the 1920 census whe was living in Somerville, Massachusetts with her daughter Naomi and her family.

Hanorah & Neadom were the parents of nine children:

1. Mary Jane “Jenny” Rodgers (Tim’s great-grandmother), born 7 June 1867 in Boston, died 10 July 1916 in Somerville (Middlesex) Massachusetts. She married (as his first wife) on 18 February 1891 in Provincetown, her first cousin, George Lincoln Rodgers, who was born 1 January 1865 in Guysborough, and died 16 July 1939 in Fall River (Bristol) Massachusetts, son of Elijah and Zippora Ann (Horton) Rodgers. Mary & George were the parents of one son. Mary Jane lies buried with her parents in Gifford Cemetery in Provincetown.

Gifford Cemetery, Provincetown, Massachusetts

2. John Neadom Rodgers, born 14 February 1869 in Provincetown, died 10 October 1933 in Boston. He married 29 June 1893 in Provincetown, Bessie Robert Bennett, who was born in January 1871, daughter of Samuel and Irene (Smith) Bennett. John & Bessie were the parents of one son, named for his father, who was born and died the same day, 30 November 1907.

3. George J. Rodgers, born 3 July 1871 in Provincetown, died there 17 March 1872, age 8 months, of “putrefied congestion of the lungs.”

4. Naomi Mahala Rodgers, born 1 August 1873 in Provincetown. She married 2 August 1896 in Boston, Henry Scott Sylvanus Akers, who was born about 1868 in Maine, son of Samuel and Sarah Baldwin (Cutting) Akers. Naomi & Henry were the parents of one son.

Georgianna Rodgers (1875-1941)
painting by her husband, E. Ambrose Webster

5. Georgianna Rodgers, born 4 May 1875 in Provincetown, died 27 May 1941 in Manhattan (New York) New York. She married 6 December 1911 in Chelsea (Suffolk) Massachusetts, Edwin Ambrose Webster, who was born 31 January 1869 in Chelsea, and died 23 January 1935 in Provincetown, son of Edwin and Caroline (Emerson) Webster. They had no children. Georgianna was a nurse, and would not agree to marry Ambrose until he was financially established as an artist. She was 36 when she and the Provincetown artist were finally married by R. Perry Bush, Clergyman.

Ever a modest person, Webster seems to have pursued his art and his teaching with remarkable talent, intensity, and intellect, but apparently with no bent for self-promotion.
~ Miriam Stubbs

He attended the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School, under Frank Benson and Edmund Tarbell, and Acadamie Julian in Paris studying with Jean Paul Laurens and Jean-Joseph Benjamin Constant. In 1913 he exhibited at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City, “Old Hut, Jamaica” and “Sunlight, Jamaica”. He started Ambrose Webster’s Summer School of Painting, and was a founding member of the Provincetown Art Association & Museum. After his death, Georgianna lived in New York City with her nephew, Karl Rodgers and his wife, Allegra, while she was in her final illness and while their daughter, Delorma was a small child. Georgianna left the house at 180 Bradford St. in Provincetown, where she and Ambrose had lived, to Karl when she died. The house remained in the family and was enjoyed as a vacation getaway until 2008, when unfortunately it had to be sold.

Ambrose & Georgianna lie buried in an unmarked grave in the Webster plot at 2653 Hawthorn Path at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Timothy Webster Rodgers, Karl’s grandson, was given a portrait of Georgianna painted by her husband, E. Ambrose Webster, after whom Tim was named.

On 24 August 2001, Aunt Delorma, Jon & Jannai, little Ella Grace, Tim & Barbara attended the opening night of an exhibition of Webster paintings at the Provincetown Art Association & Museum. Most of the paintings and drawings were from private collections, and we met the curator, Miriam Stubbs, a relative of Kenneth Stubbs who was one of Webster’s students.

6. Elijah Jacob Rodgers, born 16 January 1878 in Provincetown, died in 1960 in Arlington (Middlesex) Massachusetts. He was a baker and married 27 April 1898 in Provincetown, Clara Louise Bangs, who was born there 23 May 1879, and died 17 January 1979 in Arlington, daughter of Perez and Julia (Smith) Bangs. Elijah & Clara were the parents of one daughter. They lie buried with Elijah’s parents and his sister in Gifford Cemetery (see headstone pictured above).

7. George Levan Rodgers, born 2 May 1880 in Provincetown, died 13 November 1967 in Los Angeles (Los Angeles) California. He married 15 November 1906 in (Scott) Iowa, Sarah “Sadie” Schneider, who was born in March 1886 in Austria [now Poland], and died 25 May 1923 in Los Angeles, daughter of Abraham and Mary (—) Schneider. George & Sadie were the parents of two daughters.

8. Alvin Morse Rodgers, born 21 November 1881 in Provincetown, died 29 July 1950 in (Cook) Illinois. He married 11 October 1919 in Chicago (Cook) Illinois, Anna Kahn, who was born there 13 April 1895, and died there in February 1966, daughter of Emil and Fanny (—) Kahn. Alvin & Anna were the parents of two children.

9. Inez Mitchell Rodgers, born 30 July 1889 in Provincetown, died in 1955 in Marshfield. She married in 1920 in Somerville, Alton Phillips Stephens, who was born 11 November 1890 in Marshfield, and died in 1956 in Weymouth (Norfolk) Massachusetts, son of Alonzo and Cora Minnie (Sherman) Stevens. Inez & Alton had no children.

Last Revised: 15 February 2021

The Great Basic Art of Agriculture

Tim’s 3rd-great-grandfather, Henry Charles Raven, son of Peter George and Sabrina (Cummins) Raven, was born 11 December 1820 in Merrickville, Upper Canada [now Ontario], and died 5 January 1892 in Natural Dam, a hamlet of Gouverneur (St. Lawrence) New York. He married (as his first wife) 8 July 1840 in New York, Clarinda Sweet, who was born 22 September 1820 in Depeyster (St. Lawrence) New York and died 9 February 1875 in or near Macomb (St. Lawrence) New York, daughter of Josiah and Eunice (Day) Sweet.

Henry was a farmer. According to DeLand’s History of Jackson County, Michigan, Henry was born in Ontario and took part in the Canadian Rebellion of 1837, then came to New York and took up adjoining tracts of land in St. Lawrence County with four of his brothers.

He there continued to be identified with the great basic art of agriculture until his death, in 1891, prospering in his efforts and being held in high estimation by all who knew him. His wife [Clarinda] passed away in 1875, their children having been twelve in number.

Fifteen years after Clarinda’s death, on 28 March 1890, Henry married (as his second wife) Fannie E. Patten, who was born about 1824 in Upper Canada [now Ontario]. They were only married less than two years when Henry had an apparent heart attack and died. His obituary is from the Watertown Daily Times, Watertown, New York, 6 January 1892. The age of his death was erroneously given as between 50-60 years, but according to records he was actually 71 when he died.

A Blind Man’s Sudden Death
Gouverneur, Jan. 6 – The little village of Natural Dam was startled last evening by the report that Henry Raven, an elderly man, had been found lying on the floor in his house dead. He resided there with his wife. For many years he has been totally blind. A married daughter occupies a house near by. She has been ill for the past few days with the grip. Last evening about six o’clock he requested his wife to go to his daughter’s house and ascertain how she was then feeling. Mrs. Raven returned within half an hour and upon entering the house saw her husband lying upon the floor. She spoke to him and asked what he was doing there. Upon receiving no reply she became frightened and hastened to inform a neighbor. When they arrived he was apparently lifeless. Dr. Hassel of this village was summoned, but when he arrived Mr. Raven was dead. He was apparently in the best of health previous to his death, and the shock was a terrible one to his family. The cause of his death was probably heart disease. He was between 50 and 60 years of age. Mr. Raven was a man of some means and respected by all who knew him.

Henry & Clarinda are buried in Pierces Corner Cemetery, Macomb (St. Lawrence) New York. The inscription on Clarinda’s headstone reads:

My soul looks up and sees him smile,
While he the needed grace bestow,
All earthly sorrows to beguile,
And conquer the last foe.

Clarinda & Henry were the parents of twelve children:

1. James Henry Raven, born 25 September 1841 in (St. Lawrence) New York, died 19 March 1862 in Alexandria, Virginia. James served in the Civil War, De Peyster, New York enlisted G Company, 16th Infantry Regiment, New York, and died of disease at Fairfax Seminary, Virginia.

2. Lemuel Day Raven, born 24 March 1843 in (St. Lawrence) New York, died there by drowning on 28 October 1849, age 6.

3. Julia Agnes Raven, born 28 August 1844 in (St. Lawrence) New York, died about 1903.

4. Rachel Sophronia Raven, born 4 April 1845 in (St. Lawrence) New York. She married Ace Henry. Rachel & Ace were the parents of two sons.

5. John Van Buren Buchanan “JV” Raven, born 13 October 1848 in Rossie (St. Lawrence) New York, died 20 March 1911 in Bloomer (Chippewa) Wisconsin. John was a farmer who served in the Civil War, COB 193rd New York Infantry.

6. Josephine Clarinda Raven, born 10 October 1850 in Macomb (St. Lawrence) New York, died 21 August 1919 in Belleville (Jefferson) New York. She married 5 March 1873 in Ilion (Herkimer) New York, Lodowick Benjamin Martin, who was born 4 February 1831 in Ellisburg (Jefferson) New York, and died 27 May 1919 in Belleville. Josephine & Lodowick were the parents of two children.

7. William Franklin Raven (Tim’s 2nd-great-grandfather), born 12 July 1852 in Macomb, died 14 September 1917 in Escanaba (Delta) Michigan. William married 5 March 1878 in Cambridge (Lenawee) Michigan, Elona Naomi Case, who was born there 7 July 1853 and died 22 January 1929 in Badaxe (Huron) Michigan, daughter of Herman Roberts and Paulina Elizabeth (Minor) Case. William & Elona were the parents of seven children.

8. Myron David Raven, born 15 March 1854 in Gouverneur, died 15 December 1918 in Fowler (St. Lawrence) New York. He married Jane Ella Ward, who was born in October 1853 in New York. Myron & Jane were the parents of two sons.

9. Eunice Lucinda Raven, born 18 February 1856 in Macomb, died 2 February 1927. She married (as her first husband) about 1875, Royal Henry Huddleston, who was born about 1843 in New York and died in 1908. Eunice & Royal were the parents of three daughters. Eunice married (as her second husband) about 1908, Curtis M. Price, who was born 1846 in New York and died 1 April 1912.

10. Ella Aurelia Raven, born 7 April 1858 in New York, died 10 May 1918. She married 25 April 1877, Jasper Alonzo Day, who was born 24 October 1848 and died 31 December 1927. Ella & Jasper were the parents of four daughters.

11. Robert Sheldon Raven, born 4 March 1862 in (St. Lawrence) New York, died 30 May 1906 in Seattle (King) Washington. He married 19 February, in Doland (Spink) South Dakota, Edith Ione Austin, who was born 27 November 1868 in Depeyster (St. Lawrence) New York, and died 19 March 1953 in Langley (Island) Washington. Robert & Edith were the parents of three children.

12. George B. McClellan Raven, born 30 July 1863 in New York. He married Lizzie Willhite.

a strange gift from our deep past

In recent years, researchers have determined that most cases of autism are not rooted in rare de novo mutations but in very old genes that are shared widely in the general population while being concentrated more in certain families than others. Whatever autism is, it is not a unique product of modern civilization. It is a strange gift from our deep past, passed down through millions of years of evolution.
~ Steve Silberman
(NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism & The Future of Neurodiversity)

Salt Works

My 6th-great-grandfather seems to have been another deeply pious ancestor, and again, his wife Phebe, my 6th-great-grandmother, was not mentioned at all in the sketch I found about him. Researching my family history keeps driving this point home to me, women were certainly taken for granted in years gone by. Ammiel & Phebe lie buried in Island Pond Cemetery in Harwich.

Apparently Ammiel ‘made salt from sea water’ in addition to supporting his family by farming.

Salt making was an important industry due to the close connection of salt with fishing. The first salt produced on Cape Cod was made by evaporating sea water placed in large boilers over fire. This was the process during the Revolutionary War, but the quantity obtained was not very large and used a great deal of wood for the constant fires. The salt works that were built after the war consisted of large wooden “vats” for solar evaporation of sea water. Each vat could be entirely covered by a movable hipped-roof as protection from dews and rains.
~ Bourne Historical Society website

Dea. Ammiel Weekes, son of George and Deborah (Wing) Weekes, was born 10 April 1720 in Harwich (Barnstable) Massachusetts, and died 12 February 1804. He married 2 March 1743 in Harwich, Phebe Small, who was born 12 October 1717 in Harwich, and died there 21 April 1793, daughter of Jonathan and Damaris (Winslow) Small.

The following is from Genealogy of the Family of George Weekes of Dorchester, Mass. 1635-1650, by Robert D. Weeks, published in 1885:

[Ammiel] was a farmer; also made salt from sea water. He was a deacon in the church, and an eminently conscientious man: at one time he resigned the office of constable, rather than collect taxes for the support of the gospel. He was strict in his regard for the Sabbath; and in order to commence its observance betimes on Saturday evening, (as is still nominally the custom in some parts of New England,) ‘every Saturday afternoon, while the sun was yet high, he would come in from his work, wash, shave, take his frugal supper of bread and milk, and sit down to the reading of his Bible.’

It is related of [his son Ebenezer],– as showing [Ebenezer’s] mechanical genius, and as illustrating the strictness of the views then prevalent in regard to the Sabbath,– that at a house where he, then a mere boy, stopped with his father to rest, on their seven miles walk to ‘meeting,’ on the ‘North side,’ [Ebenezer] so carefully examined a wooden spoon, that he was able, with his father’s tools, to produce a facsimile on Monday; and his father [Ammiel], while expressing admiration of his work, reproved him for breaking the Sabbath by his study of the model on the Lord’s day.

Ammiel & Phebe were the parents of six children:

1. Isaac Weekes (my 5th-great-grandfather), born 11 April 1747 in Harwich, died 12 July 1792. He married in Harwich, 25 December 1773, Thankful Nickerson, who was born there 17 November 1751, and died in 1838. Isaac & Thankful were the parents of four children.

2. Phebe Weekes, born 6 June 1749 in Harwich, died 3 February 1819.

3. Deborah Weekes, born 18 December 1751 in Harwich, died 23 October 1796. She married in Harwich, 16 March 1771, Seth Nickerson, who was born there 11 January 1751, and died there 3 April 1784. Deborah & Seth were the parents of five children.

4. Ammiel Weekes, born 11 January 1754 in Harwich, died there 7 October 1787. He married in Harwich, 22 July 1775, Mehitable Nickerson, who was born there 20 September 1757, and died 10 November 1822, daughter of Joshua and Thankful (Eldridge) Nickerson (my 6th-great-grandparents). Ammiel & Mehitable were the parents of four children.

5. Capt. Ebenezer Weekes, born 11 September 1755 in Harwich, died there 8 May 1815. He married (as his first wife) in Harwich, 8 November 1777, Dorothy Smith, who was born there 8 August 1759, and died 23 December 1778, daughter of John Smith. Ebenezer & Dorothy were the parents of a son.

Ebenezer married (as his second wife and as her second husband) in Harwich, 25 May 1781, Barbara (Godfrey) Small, who was born about 1747 and died 11 May 1798, widow of Capt. Elijah Small. Ebenezer & Barbara were the parents of three daughters. Barbara is buried with her first husband, Elijah, in the Weekes lot at Island Pond Cemetery in Harwich.

Ebenezer married (as his third wife) in August 1798, Hannah Fessenden, who was born about 1762 and died in Harwich, 7 April 1803, daughter of William and Mehitable (Freeman) Fessenden. Ebenezer & Hannah were the parents of three sons.

Ebenezer married (as his fourth wife and as her second husband) 25 December 1803, Mehitable (Robbins) Tripp, who was born 27 March 1767, and died 28 January 1844, widow of Reuben Tripp, and daughter of Nathaniel and Lydia (—) Robbins. Ebenezer & Mehitable were the parents of four children.

Ebenezer is buried near his third wife, Hannah in the First Congregational Church Cemetery in Harwich.

6. Mehitable Weekes, born 9 November 1758 in Harwich. She married in Harwich, 6 February 1779, David Clark, who was born about 1758 and died in Harwich, 14 January 1838. Mehitable & David were the parents of six children.

my ancestors’ souls

Moreover, my ancestors’ souls are sustained by the atmosphere of the house, since I answer for them the questions that their lives once left behind. I carve out rough answers as best I can. I have even drawn them on the walls. It is as if a silent, greater family, stretching down the centuries, were peopling the house.
~ Carl Jung
(The Earth Has a Soul: The Nature Writings of C.G. Jung)

Konrad Fusiak & Ludmila Karasek

This is the story of my Ukrainian great-grandparents, most of it given to me by their granddaughter, my aunt Mary, during a lengthy interview on 21 July 1999. (I’ve been adding data here and there as documents turn up on Ancestry.com.) Aunt Mary was the oldest child of my grandparents, William & Katherine, but she grew up in Ukraine with her grandparents, Konrad & Ludmila. When Mary was 2 years old her mother sailed to America without her to join her father here. Mary didn’t see her parents again until she was 18 years old when her parents could finally send for her.

Konrad Fusiak, probably son of Gabriel and Euphosina (Dziuta) Fusiak, was probably born 29 September 1855 in Zdynia, Małopolskie, Poland, and died about 1927 in Ukraine. He married (as his first wife), Ludmila Karasek, who was born in Prague, Bohemia, which is now Czech Republic, and died in 1917 in the Ukraine, daughter of Joseph and Anna (Cermak) Karasek.

Konrad died at the age of 72, according to his granddaughter. He was a land owning farmer and a deacon in the Orthodox Church. Ludmila came from Prague to Ukraine with her parents to work in the salt mines at Starasol (or Stara Ceyl?). Konrad and Ludmila raised their granddaughter Mary when their daughter Katherine left for America. Ludmila died of double pneumonia. Apparently after Ludmila’s death, Konrad married (as his second wife) (—) Blenday. Mary remembers this step-grandmother as being very kind and protective of her, since Konrad was apparently a man harsh in his ways.

Left to right: Konrad & Ludmila (Karaseck) Fusiak, Ludmila is holding her baby granddaughter Mary Chomiak, daughters Anna and Augusta, and in front, sons Nicholas and Julian.

These pictures were taken in Ukraine, and brought to America by my aunt Mary. Konrad & Ludmila were the parents of eight children, five of them emigrated to America. Order uncertain:

1. Katherine Fusiak (my grandmother), born 19 November 1887 in Luzhek Verkhniy (Galicia) Austro-Hungarian Empire [now Ukraine], died 22 October 1943 in New London (New London) Connecticut. She married 16 February 1907, William Chomiak, who was born 2 February 1882 in Drohobych or Nahvevitchi (Galicia) in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a village now known as Ivano-Frankovsk in Ukraine, and died 7 November 1965 in Willimantic (Windham) Connecticut, son of Fedor and Anastazia (—) Chomiak. Katherine & William were the parents of eight children.

2. Mary Fusiak, born about 1891, lived in Stariy Sambir (or Sambor) and married a Polish railroad worker (perhaps surnamed Nyedv) at Mazurka.

3. Anna Fusiak, born about 1892, arrived in America 23 January 1911, settled in New Jersey and married 21 February 1914, a boarding house operator, Michael Prytuliak/Palmer. She died on 11 December 1963 in East Newark (Hudson) New Jersey. Anna & Michael were the parents of six children.

4. Andrew Fusiak, born 13 December 1896, arrived in America 3 July 1913, and died in November 1940. He attended school in Sambor, married Christina Wolanski (born 6 August 1909, arrived in America 21 October 1929) and settled in New Jersey. He was a butcher. Andrew & Christina were the parents of four children.

5. Augusta “Gussie” Fusiak, born about 1897 in Luzok Vizniy (Galicia), died at age 39 in Harrison (Hudson) New Jersey. She married a butcher, Jacob Wasyliw, who was born in Lviv (Galicia). Gussie & Jacob were the parents of three sons.

6. Julian Fusiak, born 6 August 1898 and died 22 June 1976 in Irvington (Essex) New Jersey. He didn’t like school (in Sambor) and ran away from home often. He married Božena Lowda, who was born 24 April 1902 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire [now Czech Republic] and died 26 October 1986 in Irvington. Julian served in the Austrian army immediately after World War II. He is thought to have collaborated with the Nazis to free Ukraine from Russia. He emigrated from Ukraine on 27 July 1949, age 50. In America, he worked as a storekeeper. Julian & Božena were the parents of four children.

7. Nicholas Fusiak went to school in Sambor, and served in the Austrian army. Nicholas was studying to be a teacher in the Soviet Union. At some point he went to Czechoslovakia. He is thought to have been killed by Stalin when he returned to Ukraine.

8. Steve Fusiak also went to school in Sambor and served in the Austrian army. He apparently had a child, but died young of tuberculosis.

Last Revised: 24 February 2022